Bed spring



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, 'BED'SPRING Filed July 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov.' so, 194s.

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Patented Nov. 30, 1948 BED SPRING Charles J. Elder, Muncie,

Moore Company, Muncie, Ind.,

of Indiana Ind., assigner to The a corporation ApplicationJuly 20, 1944, Serial No. 545,770

l l Claims. (Cl. -247) My invention relates to bed springs, and more particularly to that form of bed spring in which the resilient load-sustaining elements are in the form `of 'bent pieces oi flat spring stock. It is the object of my invention to produce a spring of this type which will provide a satisfactorily flexible support, which will be made up of easily manufactured parts, and which can be quickly and economically assembled.

In carrying out my invention, I employ spring elements of flat stock bent into a general S shape. These elements are arranged in rows on the base frame, the plane of curvature of each spring coinciding with the plane of the row in which the spring is located. The lower ends of the springs in each row are connected to the base frame, while the upper ends are connected together. Desirably, the interconnection of adjacent springs in each row is effected by providing each spring with a horizontal extension which is secured to the adjacent spring. The extensions are formed to lbe longitudinally extensible, and form the mattress-supporting surface of the assembly. At the ends of the rows, the springextensions are secured toa border frame, and the spring-extensions of each row are resiliently connected to the spring-extensions of the adjacent row or rows by some suitable flexible means, such as helical springs.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bed spring with portions of the upper border frame and assembly broken away; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the bed spring of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an isometric view illustrating the manner in which the spring-extension of each spring element is secured to the adjacent spring; Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan View similar to Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a fragmental isometric View illustrating a preferred manner of securing the lower ends of the spring elements to the base frame. l

The bed spring illustrated in the drawing comprises an open, generally rectangular base frame I0, conveniently for-med of angle-iron. Extending across the frame I0 at longitudinally spaced intervals are transverse Ibraces II, also -conveniently of angle-iron. Supporting members I2 ex tend longitudinally of `the frame I0 andA are secured to the cross members I I where they cross them, as at the points indicated by the reference numeral I3.

The spring elements I5, by which the load is transmitted to the base frame I0, are formed of flat spring stock bent into the general shape of a letter S, as will be clear from Figs. 2 and 3, and are arranged in rows extending transversely of the base frame. Each of the spring elements I5 is secured at its lower end to a supporting memlber I2 of the base frame. At the upper end of each of the spring elements I5, the stock of which such spring element is formed continues horizontally tangentially to the upper curve of the element to form an extension I6 long enough to project into association with the next adjacent spring element I5 in the same row. `The outer end of each extension I6 is secured to the next adjacent spring element desira'bly by providing it at its end with an offset tongue Il' adapted to enter a slot I8 in such next adjacent spring i element.

To locate the extensions I6 of the several spring elements longitudinally of the bed spring, I employ helical tension springs 20 provided at their ends with hooks 2l adapted to be received in slots 22 in the extensions I6. If it is not desired` to use helical springs 2li long enough to extend between adjacent transverse rows of spring elements I may, as indicated in Figs; l and 3, dispose between adjacent rows of spring elements and in the common plane of the extensions IB a transversely extending strip 23 which, like each extension I6, is provided along its edges with slots 22 to receive the hooks 2l of the helical springs.

Various means may be employed for securing the lower ends of the spring elements I5 to the supporting memlbers I2, but the preferred means is that illustrated in Fig. 5. As there shown, the lower end of each spring element I5 is bent to lie in a vertical plane and is provided with two spaced slits or cuts dividing the end of the element into a pair of outer tongues 25 and a center tongue 25. The tongues 25 are conveniently in one vertical plane and adapted to lie against one vertical face lof the supporting member I2. The center tongue 26 is offset vertically at its base to lie against the opposite face of the supporting member l2. In addition, the tongue 28 is provided with an intermediate offset portion 2l adapted to enter a slot 28 in the supporting member I2.

' As will be clear from Fig. 2, I prefer to dispose the spring elements I5 in each row in positions symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center-line of the base frame I0, each spring element being disposed with its lower curve concave towards such center-line and with its vextension I6 projecting in the opposite direction. The extensions I5' ofthe two spring elements at the end of each row may be shorter than the exten-V ments of each row. I prefer that the central" elements be interconnected, and for this purpose I may use a strip of spring stock 35, the same `stock as that of which the spring elements i5 are formed. The strip 35 is provided at its ends with tongues il corresponding in form to the tongues I1 of the extensions l5 and adapted to enter the slots I8 in the two center elements l5 of each row. In addition, the strip 35 is provided along its edges with slots 22 adapted to receive the hooks of helical springs 20.

-When the bed spring is not subjected to any 1oad,vthe extensions i8 will lie substantially in a common plane, which is also the plane of the border frame 38. The extensions I8 and the central connecting strip 35 of each row of spring elements I5 form a substantially continuous tension-transmitting chain extending across the border frame 38 and secured at its ends to the sides of such border frame. In order to reduce the tendency of loads on this chain to draw the sides of the border frame toward each other, the strip 35 and at least some of the extensions i6 in each row are desirably made extensible longitudinally ofthe row. To 4accomplish this result, I provide in the strip 35 and in the extensions i6 of all but the end elements i5 a downwardly projecting oifset 3'! and a longitudinal slot 38. The offsets 3l' are desirably U-shaped in form, and each of them operates as a U-shaped spring act-y ing to permit but to oppose separation of its ends. The central slot 38 reduces the width of the offset portions 3l' and hence increases their resilience.

In order to remove any lost-motion in the connection between the upper ends of adjacent spring elements, the offset tongues I1 are desirably formed so that they will be strained slightly in the assembled bed spring. This result isaccomplished by inclining the oiset portion of the tongue Il upwardly to a point such that its distance below the upper surface of its associated extension will be less than the thickness of the stock. As a result, when `the tongue I1v `is insertedinto the slot i8 of the adjacent-element and the extensions I6 of such two spring elements are brought into the same planethe tongue Il will be strained and its outer end willbear upwardly with considerable force against the lower surface of the associated spring element,

I have found that it is desirable in forming each spring element l5 to bend its lower portion on a.y radius materially smaller than the radius on which the'upper portion of the spring element is bent. In the preferred element-shape each bend is substantially 180 in extent, and the two bends are interconnected by a relatively narrow plane portion i0. I find that spring elements so shaped are highly resilient and will permit a large extent of downward displacement.

I claim as my invention:

l. A bed spring, comprising a generally rectangular base frame, a plurality of rows of spring elements having their lower ends secured to Vsaid base frame, each of said elements being formed of flat'spring stock bent into'a general S shape,

desirably 1. base frame, each of 4 an open, generally rectangular border frame disposed over said base frame, the upper end of each spring element at each end of each row being provided with an integral extension disposed substantially in the plane of the border frame and secured to the adjacent side of said border frame, each of the remaining elements of each row` being provided with an integral extension projecting toward the adjacent side of the border frame and secured to the upper end of the next element in the same row, a strip of spring stock interconnecting the upper ends of the middle pair of elements in each row, resilient means connecting said elementextensions and strip of each end row of elements to the adjacent end of the border frame, `and resilient means interconnecting the elementfextension and strips of adjacent rows of elements.

2. The invention set forth in claim l with the addition that said strip and at least some of the extensions in each row of elements are provided with offset portions rendering them elastically extensible.

3. The'invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said interconnecting means comprise helical tension springs provided at their ends with hooks, said extensions and strips being provided along their edges with openings for receiving said hooks.

4. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said interconnecting means comprise helical tension springs.

5. In a bed spring, a base frame, a row of spring elements having their lower ends secured to said said elements being formed of flat spring stock bent into a general S shape and each element intermediate the elements at opposite ends of the row having at' its upper end an integral extension projecting horizontally into superposed load-transmitting relation with the upper end of an adjacent element of the row, and means fory securing said extension to such adjacent element.

6..'Ihe invention set forth in claim 5 with the addition that said securing means comprises an offset tongue at the end of the extension', the adjacent element being pro-vided with a slot in which said tongue is received.

7. The invention set forth in claim 5 with the addition that said extension is provided at a point intermediate its length with a transverse offset rendering it longitudinally extensible.

CHARLES J. ELDER.

REFERENCES CITED' The following references iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the 

